Ex-ASU QB Samson Szakacsy forges on after loss of sister

Samson Szakacsy has such a deep connection with the world in which he walks that one shouldn't be surprised by his premonitory moment.

It was April 19, and the former Arizona State quarterback was in Tempe recording a song when he was overcome by a feeling about his sister Hannah "that wasn't pleasant."

He called his mother. She was crying. The heart of his vibrant, healthy 17-year-old sister had inexplicably stopped. She battled for 105 more days and endured multiple heart surgeries and treatment, a heartbreaking journey shared by Samson that helped him finish his second album, "Angels," which is being released Sunday.

"I feel like she gave me a push on the swing set," Szakacsy said.

Hannah, 17, passed away July 30.

When you've become a sister-less brother or daughter-less mom, it's hard to imagine not wanting to sucker-punch the world. But Szakacsy and his family are unique.

They are introspective, upbeat and have deep spiritual bonds. They often reach out to help the community. Shortly before Szakacsy decided to leave the ASU football team in January to pursue a music career, he worked closely with the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation to help inspire their youth through football.

He's the kind of guy who will hug you whether you're a friend, acquaintance or media member, and he will preach the power of love when the opportunity presents itself.

Several years ago, he decided to simplify his life and invited friends to his apartment to take anything they wanted. He bought several white T-shirts to complete his wardrobe.

Hannah shared his vision of outreach. When she was a freshman at Camarillo (Calif.), High School, she created an anti-bullying organization for elementary school students that received local acclaim.

She and Samson were close. Even while he played football and later pursued his music career, they spoke often.

She recently had started taking Tetracycline to address acne "she hardly had," Samson said, and had a "one-in-a-million reaction to it."

She contracted a virus that attacked her heart and caused many of her organs to shut down. One minute she's a healthy high school student, the next she is being airlifted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Samson flew to Los Angeles and rushed to the hospital. He barged into her hospital room because he had an overwhelming urge to be with her and watched as doctors shocked her heart over and over.

"She's not going to make it," a doctor told his family.

But she endured for more than three months, undergoing four heart operations. She was never able to speak but did find ways to communicate.

The family spent much of that time camped out on the hospital's sixth floor hoping Hannah's health would take a positive turn.

"She was in a lot of pain," Szakacsy said. "It was tough. But it also was selfish to need her to stay for us. I really had to make peace for her comfort."

During the experience, the brother and sister made an even more profound connection.

The experience helped him complete his album, because it made him "dive deeper into myself. All the things with Hannah . . . I was with her as she passed. I feel her within me.

"I had to attach myself with Hannah's spirit, not her flesh."

He calls the album "Angels" because he believes at the core, everyone is an angel. He will release it for free to be uploaded from the website thelightteam.bandcamp.com at approximately 8 p.m. Sunday and later will have it distributed by Disc Makers, a company that caters to independent musicians.

It is his second project following "Chasing Truth," which was released in December.

The album cover for "Angels" was designed by Lauren Threet, the sister of former ASU quarterback Steven Threet.

Szakacsy's music very much reflects who he is. It's honest, reflective, spiritual. Szakacsy often speaks of God, but he doesn't identify with one religion. If anything, he identifies with many of them.

"Love is God," he said.

He will continue with his music. He will be in Tempe on Aug. 27 performing at the Marquee Theater with the band VeraGroove.

He will forge on.

"I've got to continue to connect with my life," he said. "That's how I feel Hannah the most."